Everyone Should be able to Smile on their Birthday
by Hypnotoad76
Summary: Annie has a 21st birthday she won't soon forget. Takes place between Regional Holiday Music and Contemporary Impressionists.


Annie smiled as she opened her eyes and stretched, having just woken up from a very interesting dream. She had been in a dogsled race with Troy and Abed, and for some reason Ian Duncan. They had been neck and neck with the other team, which was being led by Annie Kim, when they managed to pull ahead and win. The look on Annie Kim's face when they crossed the finish line had been priceless.

The smile on Annie's face faded though when she remembered what day today was. It was her birthday. Her twenty first birthday. Normally people loved their birthday. Especially when it was the big 2 1. But usually Annie dreaded this day. Most years it had entailed her parents ignoring it and her being reminded that she didn't have people in her life who wanted to celebrate the day of her birth.

She knew that wasn't the case anymore. She had six people in her life who deeply loved and appreciated her. And last year hadn't been bad at all. The group took her out to dinner and then they all went to see the new Chronicles of Narnia movie. But she still couldn't help shaking the old feeling of dread she generally felt on her birthday.

She got out of bed and walked out of her room, expecting Troy and Abed to start yelling and singing Happy Birthday. But they weren't out of the blanket fort. She opened the sheet flap and saw that they weren't there. She went to the kitchen and saw a note on the counter. _Annie. Went to film stuff. Be back tomorrow. Troy and Abed_. She sighed in disappointment as she put the note down. In spite of her apprehension she had honestly expected them to do some crazy stunt for her birthday. Something that would make her yell in frustration at first, but then laugh in delight. But it looked like they were going to be occupied today.

Maybe they forgot, Annie thought. She had barely mentioned that her birthday was coming up. Maybe they didn't even realize that it was today. Though she wasn't sure if that thought made her feel better or worse.

Just then there was a loud knock at the front door. She went over and looked through the peephole, shocked by who was outside. "What in the world," she said as she opened the door. Her surprise immediately turned to delight when Jeff blew a party horn in her face.

"Happy birthday."

"Jeff!" She hugged him tightly before stepping back so he could come in. "You remembered it was my birthday."

"Why wouldn't I remember? It's the same day it was last year."

"I know. It's just…" She quickly waved her hands as she glanced down at herself, wishing she was wearing something other than pink pajamas with kittens wearing spectacles. "I wish you had called so I could have put on actual clothes."

"So you don't sleep in cardigans and tights? Wow, that's surprising." She giggled at his bad joke as he looked around the apartment. "I couldn't have called you anyway. Something's wrong with my phone. It was working fine last night at the bar, but today it's just dead."

"Oh no, Jeff Winger doesn't have his phone. How will he ever live?"

"Ha ha ha. I'm sure I'll manage."

"Jeff, it's you. Sometimes I think we have to hold an intervention for your phone use."

"Oh, that would go over well. I can just see Britta now. 'As a psych major, I'm well equipped to handle this intervention, even though I've only been a psych major for about four months'."

Annie laughed at Jeff's Britta impression, and then felt bad about it. "She's just a little over zealous."

"Try a little obsessed. If we were a television show the audience could make a drinking game out of the amount of times she says 'As a psych major'. So where are the guys anyway? I would have figured they would have stayed up all night decorating the place for your b-day."

"They're out filming something and won't be back until tomorrow," Annie said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Catching the sadness in her voice Jeff went over to her. "Ok, we're having no sadness from you today. Not on my watch. Go shower and get dressed. I'm taking you out to breakfast, then we're doing more things to celebrate today. And just to reiterate, I usually spend my winter breaks doing as little as possible, so appreciate the effort I'm making. "

"Well since it's a rare event, I always appreciate when the Jeff Winger effort is put forth." She smiled before gathering her clothes and going into the bathroom.

Half an hour later Annie walked out completely ready in jeans and a purple sweater. She ran a brush through her still damp hair as Jeff came over to her. "I didn't think you even owned jeans."

"You've seen you in jeans Jeff."

"I've seen you in skirts. Dresses. Occasionally pants, sometimes shorts, and I think I saw you in sweats once. But I can't recall seeing you in jeans. It's kind of refreshing." He ignored her slight blush as he handed her a glass of orange juice. "Here you go. Cheers."

She took a big sip, but quickly made a face as she spit it back in the glass. "Bleag. What is that, vodka?"

"Yea." He frowned a bit self consciously as he took it back.

"It's nine in the morning."

"I just thought, since you're twenty one now…."

She grinned and shrugged as she took the drink back. "Well, maybe I'll indulge just this once." She took another sip before shuttering and spitting it back. "No, can't. It's too early." She handed the glass back to Jeff. "Here, you drink it."

"Oh that's appetizing. You've basically spit in it. Twice." But to her surprise he knocked the drink back in one gulp before putting the empty glass in the sink. "Ok, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The cashier at the party store looked up at the two young men in front of her. "Can I help you?"

"My name is Abed Nadir. This is my friend Troy Barns. We're here to purchase birthday party items for our friend Annie Edison's birthday."

"We would like to see all the items you have in the color purple. Streamers, table clothes, those noise makers that shoot confetti out of them when you pull the string."

She blinked rapidly as she pointed down the aisles. "Try aisle three and four."

They thanked her before setting off, grabbing every purple idem they could find and dumping it in their cart.

"This is going to be great," Troy gleefully said. "She's going to think we forgot her birthday. Then tonight we bring her to the party and she's going to be surprised and happy."

"It's kind of an overdone sitcom staple, but it should be good," Abed said.

Just then Troy heard his phone ring. He pulled it out and put it on speaker. "Hey Shirley."

"_Where are you two?" _

"We're at Party City getting supplies for Annie's party."

"_Well don't take too long. You still have to go to Pierce's mansion and decorate it for the party."_

"Got it. We're in charge of decorations and you're in charge of the food. And Pierce and Britta are getting alcohol before they help us set up."

"_And you're sure Annie is being occupied?" _

"I sent a text to Jeff last night after he left the bar telling him to keep Annie occupied today. He never wrote back, but I'm guessing he got it. He's always on his phone," Abed said.

"_Well make sure he's with her. We don't want her showing up early and spoiling the surprise. Bye." _With that she hung up.

Abed pulled out his phone and quickly texted Jeff.

Abed: Are you keeping her occupied?

Jeff: Yup, keeping her busy.

Abed pocketed his phone as he put a number of purple party hats in the cart. "We're good."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why are we going all this way to get liquor," Britta asked Pierce as she fidgeted in the passenger seat of his car. "I know a dozen much closer places."

"Don't worry. I know a really good place. Real premium stuff, better then top shelf. Just sit back and relax and soon you'll be in alcohol heaven."

Pierce glanced over at Britta, smiling as she stared out the window. She suspects nothing, he thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'll have an egg white omelet with mushrooms, spinach and Swiss, and a glass of vegetable juice."

The waitress wrote that down before turning to Annie. "And for you miss?"

Annie glanced at the menu for another moment before making her decision. "I'll have the three fruit pancakes please."

"What fruit do you want in each pancake?"

"One with blueberries, one with strawberries and one with bananas. And can I also get a fourth pancake with chocolate chips?"

"I'll have to charge you a little extra."

Before Annie could answer Jeff said "It's her birthday today."

The waitress looked at her before smiling and crossing something out on her pad. "Yea, ok. I'll throw in the last pancake on the house. Anything else birthday girl?"

"A side of hash brown and a glass of orange juice please."

The waitress wrote all that down before walking away. Annie glanced around, observing the whole atmosphere of the restaurant. It was a fairly run down diner, with cracks in the wall and stuffing poking out of the vinyl covering of the booths. In her mind it didn't exactly scream 'Jeff Winger haunt'. "Do you come here often Jeff? It doesn't really seem like your kind of place."

"Not in a while. I used to come here every morning I had to be in court. Nothing like Greasy Sue's eggs and hash browns to get you ready to battle it out with a prosecutor. But this is the first time I've been here since…"

She noticed the hint of sadness in his voice as he trailed off. She reached across the booth and placed her hand over his. "You'll be back there soon Jeff. This time in two years you'll be in a court room winning high powered cases. Then you'll go on to become partner and you'll have everything you deserve, only this time having earned it rightfully. Just don't forget about us when you do."

Though she meant it as a joke, she couldn't help some fear rising in her voice in the last statement. Catching this Jeff pulled his hand out from under hers and put it on top of her hand. "Annie, you know I'm not great with non sarcastic sentiments, so I'll try my best to say this. I could never forget about you guys. Ok maybe Pierce, though I doubt he'd ever let that happen. But everyone else I'd hate to not have in my life. Especially…" He suddenly paused as he looked into her eyes. "I mean, you know how important you are to me, right?"

Annie looked at Jeff, suddenly aware of how warm her hand felt under his. Before they could respond the waitress came over with their juice. They pulled their hands apart as they took their glasses. They drank there juice in silence, a little unsure how to continue after all that.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Shirley checked to make sure the cake was fine while it cooled. Seeing that it was she separated the dough for the mini pizzas and added various ingredients on top of each round piece. Once they were all prepared she put them in the oven before calling Troy and Abed.

"Hello! How's it going at Pierce's place?" She quickly pulled the phone from her ear as she heard a loud crash on the other end. "Is everything all right? What happened?" 

"_We're fine,"_ Troy yelled over the line. _"Um, quick question. How do you get fruit punch out of a carpet?" _

"Oh guys! What happened, you spilled some while you were making it?"

"_We were trying to defeat the blorgons by using water balloons filled with fruit punch. It didn't go well," _Abed said.

"Oh I don't believe…find some carpet cleaner and mix in a little vinegar and clean it up. The last thing we need is Pierce coming back and finding his home completely destroyed." She groaned loudly as she hung up the phone. "I hope they find happiness, but god help the women who end up with those two."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Britta glanced in the back seat, amazed at the amount of alcohol they had just gotten. They had vodka (both plain and flavored), rum, brandy, gin, tequila, whisky, scotch, many flavors of schnapps, several different brands of imported and domestic beer. It was enough to get an entire army hammered (or herself during a summer break).

"Ok Pierce, we've got every type of alcohol imaginable. Let's go back."

"Oh, not so fast Brittles. We still need to get the wine."

"Pierce, we don't need wine. We've got enough stuff already. And even if we did need it, why didn't we get some at the liquor store you insisted we drive thirty miles out of our way to."

"Because…because that place doesn't have a good wine selection. Trust me, I know a place that will blow your mind. And it's not that far from here. I'll even treat you to lunch afterwards. What do you say?"

She groaned as she slunk down in the passenger seat. After all, there wasn't a great deal she could do about it. He was her ride.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know," Jeff said. "I've lived here my whole life and you know what I never knew we had?"

"A roller rink!" Annie gleefully said with a smile as she pulled Jeff along.

After that awkward moment during breakfast things had been fine between them. Better then fine, Annie thought. Things had been going great. After they ate their breakfast (with Annie deciding she had just eaten the best pancakes ever), they got in Jeff's Lexes and just started driving around. There weren't any lulls in the conversation as they talked about everything from what they thought happened to Mr. Rad to how much damage Chang could really do as head of security. They weren't even paying attention to where they were going when they suddenly came to a huge building that was a roller skating rink. Jeff tried to talk her out of it, but she had been really excited about checking it out. And Jeff just didn't have it in him to wipe the happy grin off her face.

Which was why he now found himself in a pair of rented skates gliding across the polished hard wood floor.

Though he hadn't skated since he was a little kid, thankfully it didn't take him too long before he got the hang of it again. He whizzed around Annie, who if anything seemed to be doing better than he was. She glided effortlessly across the floor, owning the place.

"You're really good Edison."

"Thanks. I used to roller skate all the time when I was a kid. My knees were constantly scabbed from falling in the street."

"Well, worst that would happen here is you'd get a bit black and blue. And I'd catch you before that happened."

Just then the music stopped and the announcer's voice came on the speakers. "All right everyone, its couples skate. Everyone who came with someone stay out there and show them how it's done."

As the rink thinned of people Annie looked up at Jeff, expecting him to want to get off the floor for fear of what others might think. But to her surprise he simply took hold of her hand as he stayed right where he was. She relaxed as she glanced around. "When I used to skate outside my house I always imagined being with someone and the two of us impressing a crowd of people with a great skating routine."

They glanced up as the song Dog Days Are Over started playing over the speakers. Jeff looked over at Annie as he smiled. "Lets show them how it's done." He kept a firm grip on her right hand as they started gliding across the floor, forming their own impromptu routine to the music.

_Happiness hit her like a train on a track. Coming towards her stuck still no turning back. She hid around corners and she hid under beds. She killed it with kisses and from it she fled. With every bubble she sank with her drink. And washed it away down the kitchen sink. The dog days are over. The dog days are done. The horses are coming. So you better run. _

As the song sped up they separated as they skated faster, weaving in and out of the other people as they came back and joined hands right as the music it grew slow and mournful. Everyone on the floor backed up against the wall, giving them the entire floor to skate. They joined both hands to form a circle as they spun each other around. As the tempo increased they spun faster in their circle before Jeff let go of one of her arms. Annie stayed where she was for a moment before he unexpectedly pulled her towards him in a twirl and dipped her. She gripped onto his arms tightly as he pulled her back up, both of them laughing hysterically at the absurdity of it all.

"Do you trust me!" He yelled/whispered in her ear.

"Yes!"

"When the lyrics stop separate from me and skate by yourself while I stand still. Then when they start up again race towards me and jump into my arms."

"WHAT!"

"I won't let you fall."

Just then she heard the lyrics stop as the part Jeff told her about arrived. Nodding her head yes she let go of Jeff's hands and started skating all over the floor while Jeff stood stoically still. She kept in sync with the clapping on the track as she darted from left to right. Just as the clapping in the tempo stopped Annie took a deep breath and raced towards Jeff, leaping off the floor towards him. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for a huge fall. But instead Jeff caught hold of her, keeping his legs locked to support them both as he tightly held onto her. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he started spinning around in a circle. Keeping a firm hold of his shoulders Annie unlocked her legs and slid down his body until her feet hit the floor. She separated herself from Jeff and skated around him as the song ended. Once it was over she looked around as everyone in the place started cheering and whistling at them. As she smiled and looked around she kept expecting to wake up in her bed at any moment. It just didn't seem real that she had just done a skating routine with Jeff Winger.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So I usually don't travel by train, but I figured it would be an interesting change of pace."

"Ok," Britta dully said as she picked at her salad. This day is going terribly, she thought. After leaving the first liquor store Pierce drove them another twenty miles to a store that specifically sold wine. She then had to endure well over a hour of Pierce carefully making his selections, while listening to him go on about the history of each particular bottle (she didn't know a lot about wine, but she was sure he was talking out of his ass about most of it). And now they were having lunch while he told her one obnoxious story after another.

"So I get up to use the bathroom and who do I see get up also, but Florence Henderson. I'm sure you can use your imagine as to what happened next, but I banged her in the-."

"OK!" she yelled. "That's it. I'm done."

"What? What's the matter?"

"Pierce, we have just spent the last several hours getting liquor for Annie's party tonight. We have driven hours out of our way just to get the 'perfect stuff'. I have listened to more stories about you then even a psych major has a right to hear. At this point I'm ready to recommend serious psychiatric help for you. I cannot take being around you for one more minute."

"Well let me just-."

"No! I don't care if you are my ride. I'm calling a cab and I'm leaving."

Pierce looked around in a panic when he saw a cop walk into the restaurant. "Drugs!" he yelled as he pointed to Britta. "She has drugs on her!"

Britta looked at Pierce in shock as the cop walked towards her. "Miss, would you mind stepping to the side for a minute."

"Actually, I would mind very much so. Just because some Lune makes a accusation does not give you the right to treat me like a criminal. I have rights."

"Miss, just step over here for a moment."

"I don't-." Just then Britta made a mad dash for the exit. The police officer ran after her, catching her just before she could open the door. He pushed her up against the wall as he put handcuffs on her. "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say-."

"FASCIST PIG!" she screamed. "YOU'RE OBSCURING OUR RIGHT TO EXIST! SEE WHAT YOUR POLICE DOES PEOPLE! ALL IT TAKES IS ONE VOICE TO BRAND YOU A CRIMINAL! IT'S THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS ALL OVER AGAIN!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie fiddled with her chopsticks until she got the hang of it. It's something she always did no matter how many times she used them. She glanced up at Jeff, who was busy looking over the sushi menu. "Why don't we get a bunch of rolls, say five or six, and then we can share all of them."

"Yea, that works."

They looked over their menus before the waiter came over. "Good afternoon folks. Would you like to hear about our lunch specials today?"

"Na, I think I know what I want. You?" Jeff asked as he looked up at Annie.

"Yea, I know what I'm getting. I'll have a bowl of Miso soup. And I'll have the spicy tuna roll, the caterpillar roll, and the Philadelphia roll please."

The waiter wrote all that down before turning to Jeff. "And for you sir?"

"I'll have the ginger seed dressing salad, the spider roll, the roe fish roll, and the California roll." Jeff handed the menus to the waiter before looking over at Annie. "So how's your birthday going so far?"

"So far it's going great. Thank you. Usually I would spend my birthdays in my room crying."

She didn't mean say that, but it couldn't help slipping out. For a moment she was afraid Jeff would brush her off. But instead he simply frowned. "I'm sorry. Sometimes it's easy to forget your life wasn't always sunshine and kittens."

"No it wasn't," she said without any humor in her voice. She quickly shook her head, determined not to bring herself or Jeff down. "But that's in the past. Even if things haven't gone exactly the way I wanted them to go, I'm happy with how things have turned out."

Jeff smiled before it slowly left his face. "I just hate to think of today being sad for you."

"Well, I wasn't exactly miss popularity in high school or junior high. And my mom was usually always too busy with work to bother doing anything. At first she would leave me a cupcake or a gift for me before she went to work. But the last two years of high school she didn't even do that. It was like she was too busy to remember."

Jeff tried to keep his face passive, but inside his heart broke at hearing this. Trying to steer things in a better direction he said "Well you've got to have one favorite birthday. Everyone has at least one that they fondly remember."

Annie thought about it for a moment before a smile broke out on her face. "My eleventh birthday. That's probably my favorite one."

"What made it so special?"

"Well, for one thing by parents were still together. And they at least pretended to get along on that day. My mom and me made a huge birthday banner that we hung in the living room. My dad made this chicken dish with ginger wrapped in spinach, and he got a great vanilla birthday cake from the bakery. It had real vanilla beans in it and they had drawn my face in icing. Then my friends Suzy and Crystal, who I had been friends with since first grade, came over and spent the night." She grinned gleefully as she continued her story. "My mom always forbid me from watching anything with Jim Carrey in it. She never liked slap stick humor and she felt he was too loud and obnoxious. Well after my parents went to bed Crystal took out The Mask, Dumb & Dumber, Liar Liar and Me Myself & Irene from her overnight bag. We stayed up all night watching all four movies, laughing hysterically." She laughed at the memory before the smile left her face. "Sometimes it seems like my childhood peeked the night, and it was all downhill after that. My parents divorced not too long after that. And once I got to junior high Suzy and Crystal started hanging out with other people and eventually we weren't friends anymore. I was watching Stand by Me with Abed and Troy the other night, and the end of the movie stuck with me. It just seems that when you're a kid you think you'll be friends with someone forever. But then you grow up and become different people then you used to be, until you no longer have anything in common with the person you used to be friends with."

It killed Jeff to hear her talk like that, especially since it was like the mentality of a forty year old in the body of someone barely into their twenties. "That's kind of common with everyone. I used to have people I was friends with when I was growing up, and now I never talk to any of them. Maybe that's why it's better to become close friends with someone when you're older. You both have a better sense of who you are and are better able to make it last."

She looked at him for a moment before she smiled. "That's a nice thought. So Jeff, what's your best birthday?"

"I don't know."

"Come on, I told you mine. You must have one that stands out above the rest?"

He couldn't help grinning as he thought it over. "Well, I definitely liked last year when I almost beat Abed in Dance Dance Revolution. But if I had to pick a favorite birthday it would probably be the one I had the first year I started working at Hamish, Hamish and Hamlin. I hadn't been there that long, but Ted had taken a shine to me. He took me out for a steak dinner, which is obviously a big deal if you're looking to someday make partner. Then afterwards I went to a bar and ended up meeting this…" He hesitated a bit, not sure how much was too much to reveal. "Let's just say a woman who I'm pretty sure was a contortionist-."

"OK!" She held her hands up as she silenced Jeff. "I get it. You don't need to elaborate."

"Hey I was trying to be discreet. I'm not Pierce."

"Ew. You're right. He would have just kept talking regardless at how grossed out we were. Well anyway, I'm glad you DO have a favorite birthday."

"Guess everyone has one. So what do you want to do next on your birthday celebration?"

"Well…I wanted to stop by the mall for a bit to get a new pair of snow boots. Then I wouldn't mind going to the movies."

Just then their soup and salad arrived, followed not long afterwards by their sushi. They divided up the rolls so they both had some of each of their orders before eating. Once they were finished Annie declared that she liked the caterpillar roll the best, while Jeff said his favorite was the spicy tuna.

Once they got to the mall Jeff said he was going to see about getting his phone fixed while Annie shopped for boots. Instead he went over to Best Buy for a bit before going outside and hiding his purchases in the trunk of his car. He made it back to Macy's just as Annie came out, excitedly showing him her new boots.

At the movie theater they looked through the listings as they decided on what to see. Jeff wanted to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, but since Annie hadn't seen the first one she didn't want to start out with the sequel. She playfully tried to make the case for the new Twilight movie before assuring Jeff she wouldn't force him to watch it. They finally settled on seeing The Artist. Annie pulled out her cell phone and turned it off before they bought tickets and went inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ms Perry." Britta looked up as the guard opened her holding cell. "You made bail." Her eyes widened when she saw Pierce standing next to the guard, but she managed to resist strangling him. If she assaulted him right now she'd be thrown back in her cell.

She kept her anger hidden as she went to the front desk and filled out the necessary paperwork. Pierce kept waiting for her to explode, but he relaxed as she appeared calm. Britta kept up her calm facade until they got in the car. As soon as they rounded the corner she punched Pierce hard in his jaw.

"OW!" he pulled over to the side of the road as he rubbed his face. "What was that-."

"YOU GOT ME ARRESTED PIERCE!" she screamed at him. "You yelled out that I had drugs on me, which I didn't. And managed to get me arrested for resisting arrest!"

"Well if you didn't have anything on you why did you run from-."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! Why would you even try to get me arrested in the first place? What insane reason could you possibly have to-."

"I had to keep you distracted." She abruptly stopped yelling as Pierce begrudgingly continued. "I got a text message from A-bed last night asking me to keep you distracted until the party tonight. I just wanted to do something right. So I'm not always thought of as a joke."

"So all of this…the hours of buying liquor, the story after story at lunch, getting me arrested, it was all to keep me distracted? And the best idea you came up with was getting me arrested?" She paused as she thought about what he had just said. "Wait a minute. Why did Abed want you to distract me anyway?"

"I don't know. He probably didn't want you Brittaing things up while they set up for Annie's party."

She groaned in frustration as she held out her hand. "Give me your phone. I want to read this text message for myself." She took the phone and looked through it before looking at Pierce. "This isn't your phone."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Shirley sighed deeply as she pinched the bridge of her nose in a very Jeff like manner. "Ok. Explain to me one more time how this happened."

"Well I was at the Ball Room last night with Jeff, Troy and A-bed. I was telling Jeff this great story about the time I banged-."

"Pierce, PLEASE!"

"Ok, ok Shirley. So at some point I took my phone out, which is the same as Jeff's, and put it on the bar. I'm not sure why, it hasn't worked since I dropped it in a toilet."

"If you knew your phone wasn't working, why didn't you realize it wasn't your phone?" Britta asked.

"I thought it might have fixed itself."

Troy nodded in agreement as Shirley groaned. "Ok, continue."

"Well, I remember at one point Jeff put his phone down next to mine. I guess when he left he accidently took mine instead of his."

"Ok, that explains how you got Jeff's phone and why no one has been able to get in touch with Jeff all day. But why would you think you had to keep Britta distracted," Shirley asked Pierce.

"I was playing Asteroids and didn't get a chance to tell Jeff to keep an eye on Annie while he was there," Abed said. "After he left I sent him a message telling him to keep Annie occupied today until we were all set up for her surprise party."

Troy took Jeff's phone and pulled up the message Abed sent Jeff: _Make sure you keep the brithday girl occupied while we set up for the party._ "How did you not know we were talking about Annie Pierce?" 

"I thought brithday was code for Brittles."

"OK! Can we NOT keep giving me weird nicknames? I have an actual name here," Britta said.

"I just tried calling Annie," Abed said as he put his phone down. "It's just going to voice mail. I think she has it turned off."

"Oh, poor Annie," Shirley said sadly. "She's been all by herself all day, thinking we all forgot her birthday. She's going to be so upset. Troy and Abed, go home and see if she's there. We have to find that girl, pronto."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Careful. You're going to knock your party hat off your head," Jeff said. Though Annie was just a little tipsy Jeff still kept a firm hold on her arm as he opened his apartment door. He readjusted his Best Buy bag before leading both of them inside.

Annie giggled as she fell onto the couch. It just seemed like things kept getting better and better for her today. After the movie Jeff took her out to dinner at this really nice Italian restaurant. She had decided to get a Cosmo, smiling when the waitress asked for ID and she pulled out her (now legal and not Caroline Decker) license. "It might be a pain, but appreciate it now," Jeff said. "It's always a bit sobering the first time they don't ask to card you. Although with your face you'll probably have a while before that happens."

After a great meal and a couple more drinks Annie was shocked when the entire wait staff came over and sang Happy Birthday to her, before presenting her with a party hat and a slice of vanilla cake. "It might not have your face on it, but it's still vanilla," Jeff told her. She smiled as she leaned over the table and hugged him tightly, thanking him over and over again.

She just couldn't believe this entire day. While it wasn't like she and Jeff never hung out, they had never spent the entire day together just the two of them (unless you counted their whole Conspiracy Theory adventure.) And not only that, but it had all been his idea. She hadn't hunted him down and talked him into spending time with her. He had come on his own. It…

She frowned as a thought occurred to her. There was one reason he would insist on spending the entire day with her. Though if it was true it shouldn't diminish all the fun she had today. But she did wonder…

She looked up as Jeff came over and handed her a glass of water. "Here you go. You're not really drunk, but it'd still benefit you to stay hydrated."

"Thanks." She took a big drink as Jeff sat down next to her. "Jeff. Can I ask you something?"

"Ok."

"This whole day. Taking me to all those places, spending all this time with me. Were you doing it because you were told to?"

"What do you mean," he said with a slight frown.

"I was just thinking about how on a lot of TV shows, someone spends all day with the birthday person to distract them while everyone else sets up for a surprise party. I was just curious if…"

"Wow, you've really been spending way too much time with Abed. Though I guess I can see why you'd think that. I mean, I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to spending time with people without being coerced. But if anyone is planning anything I was not informed at all. I wasn't told anything last night at the bar and I haven't even heard from anyone since yesterday. The truth is I spent the day with you because I wanted to give you a really good birthday."

"This was better than just a good birthday Jeff. This might have been the best birthday I've ever had."

"Well don't make your final decision until you've gotten your gifts."

"Jeff, after everything you really don't have to-."

"Annie, like everything today I didn't do it because I had to. I did it because I want to." He pulled up the Best Buy bag and handed it to Annie. She pulled out the items, laughing when she saw what they were. They were DVDs of Dumb & Dumber, Liar Liar, and Ace Venture: When Nature Calls.

"They didn't have The Mask or Me Myself & Irene in stock. But I figured if you like Jim Carrey you'll-."

He stopped talking as Annie threw herself on top of him, hugging him tightly. "Ok, easy there. You might be a little more tipsy then you realize." As she pulled back he became very aware of their position: her sitting in his lap practically at eye level with him.

Before he could say anything she slid off his lap and stood up. "I'll be back in a sec."

When she got back from the bathroom she saw an envelope and a plastic CVS bag on her spot on the couch. "Oh Jeff, you really didn't have to-."

"Annie, the movies were a last minute idea. This is you're actual planned gift. And stop doing the whole modesty thing. Your birthday only comes once a year."

She rolled her eyes as she sat down on the couch, reaching into the grocery bag first. She gasped in delight when she pulled out what was inside: a six pack of purple gel grip pens. "Jeff, thank you so much."

"No problem. Just keep them away from any kleptomaniac monkeys. Now open the envelope. That's your actual official gift."

She opened the envelope and pulled out a thin ticket size piece of paper. She sat there silently as she read it to herself. _This ticket entitles the holder to one guilt free Jeff Winger favor. By cashing in this ticket you will receive a favor from Jeffrey Tobias Winger that he cannot talk himself out of or turn down. In addition he must perform the requested favor without complaint or sarcasm and only a maximum of two eye rolls. Good indefinitely. _

She looked up at Jeff, who was hanging his head in a false nonchalant fashion "Jeff…"

"I just thought, I mean, you already are good at getting stuff out of me. I figured you should have one time when I do something for you without complaining."

She took hold of his hand as she smiled up at him. "You already have."

"Just, keep that to yourself. I don't want everyone thinking I'm…you know."

She smiled as she slipped the coupon in her jeans pocket. "Don't worry, your slacker I don't care rep will stay safe. Although I should warm you, it keeps revealing itself without meaning to." She bounced a little as she looked at her movies. "I've never actually seen Ace Venture: When Nature Calls."

"If you're a Jim Carrey fan you'll like it. And it doesn't matter if you haven't seen the first one, there's no connection between the two. As long as you know he's a pet detective you're already caught up."

Jeff put on the movie, then got comfortable on the couch. Annie threw a blanket over them and snuggled up next to Jeff. As the movie started she felt sleepy from everything she had done that day. She ended up falling asleep before Ace even made it to Africa, with Jeff nodding off not long after her.

Which was how the gang found them later when they went to Jeff's place to see if he knew where Annie was.

"OH," Troy said. "They're adorable."

"You don't think…" Britta said.

"Na," Abed said. "They just fell asleep while watching a movie."

"Well, it's good that there wasn't any funny business," Shirley said with disapproval.

"He could have porked her before they got on the couch."

"PIERCE!" Shirley hissed as she hit his shoulder.

"OW! That's the second time I've been assaulted by a woman today."

"And it'll be a third time if you don't behave yourself," Britta said as she looked at Jeff and Annie's peaceful faces. While she didn't exactly feel jealous over seeing them, she couldn't pinpoint what her exact feelings were on this.

"Ok, I am NOT letting all my food and time go to waste. We're having this party. Lets wake them up. On the count of three everyone. One. Two. Three."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Jeff and Annie woke up with a start, with Annie falling off the couch. As she looked up her fear turned to delight as she say everyone standing there wishing her a happy birthday.

They all went to Pierce's mansion, where Shirley reheated the food and everyone broke into the monumental amount of alcohol Britta and Pierce had obtained. They all played Wii bowling (with Jeff beating Troy but not Abed) and then sang a number of songs on Pierce's karaoke player (Annie's favorite was when she and Britta sang Love Shack). After eating the pizza and other snacks they had her birthday cake, with Annie beaming as all of them sang Happy Birthday to her. As Annie blew out the candles she smiled at how the day went. An amazing day with Jeff and a great party with all her friends. As good as her eleventh birthday had been, she now had a new favorite birthday.


End file.
